Mark Westcott at Don Camillo, Sandy Bay, where he started his career as a waiter, straight from school and has long been maître d’hotel.

“I have had a great love of cooking ever since I can remember,” writes Mark. He went to Don Camillo where Bertie Tucceri employed him to wait on tables but promised to teach him to cook as well. “I learnt by observation and on occasions, necessity.” Having watched the hospitality industry in Tasmania grow and mature, he now greets the children and grandchildren of people who have watched him grow up in the profession.